Mac DeMarco: On the Square - Track Review

The sound of Mac relying on his past.

If “On the Square” is meant to carry the torch of “On the Level” and “Chamber of Reflection,” it’s coming in last place. The latest from Mac DeMarco’s Here Comes the Cowboy is moody piano chillwave, DeMarco’s back-pocket specialty. Typically serving as a come-down from his wilder moments, the sounds are comforting and nourishing enough to prompt reflection while avoiding confrontation.

Popular ingredients like electric piano, thick bass and crystalline synthesizers make appearances, but unlike the songs preceding it, “On the Square” doesn’t have the melody to justify it’s breezy attitude. When the descending synth melody starts, it almost sounds like a sigh from an artist tired of himself; eager to shed the moniker of Mac DeMarco, but too reliant on his tricks to do it.